Manager Partner Technical Communications Webgility. My Passion is helping people to manage their eCommerce Business and gain knowledge of the new emerging technologies to help everyone grow. I have an experience of running 5 Telecom Retail Stores for 7 Years successfully and 8 years helping online retailers via Webgility.

@amyamy2379 What i think of is you need an automated way of entering the Orders and fees in the QuickBooks as Transactions or expenses which will will ease your daily work and allow you to concentrate on your sales. There are tools available in the market which do provide these type of services. Webgility' Unify Enterprise is one of them which does that. Also there are other players like T-Hub or Entriwise . The advantage of Webgility is that they have cloud version and also desktop based version.
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@EmilyCowan Yes the inspirational Quotes do inspire me and i follow one quote which i have experienced and found very true and that is " The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It's a very mean and nasty place... and I don´t care how tough you are, it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently, if you let it. You, me or nobody, is gonna hit as hard as life. But ain't about how hard you hit... It's about how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward... how much you can take, and keep moving forward. That´s how winning is done. Now, if you know what you worth, go out and get what you worth. But you gotta be willing to take the hits. And not pointing fingers saying: You ain´t what you wanna be because of him or her or anybody. Cowards do that and that ain´t you! You´re better than that!!!!!" Its from a movie but great words.
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@umarjee4u you can create a bill or a check for recording the expenses incurred for the sales you have done on Amazon which are called settlement reports. So we are just recording the transactions which have been done.
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3 ways to hurdle what’s tripping up your ecommerce business (reprint)
The future of buying and selling is borderless, seamless, voice-driven, personalized, powered by AI, machine learning, and automation. There is no omnichannel, there is no ecommerce—it’s all just “commerce.” Consumers expect to find the best-rated items, at the best price, always in stock, shipped to them immediately from anywhere in the world, delivered on time, and easily returnable, all from any interface—laptop, tablet, mobile phone, or virtual assistant.
What does this mean for small and medium-sized businesses? On the one hand, it’s easier than ever now to start an ecommerce business with so many platforms and tech solutions; but if you can do it, so can everyone else; the competition will only get tougher. If you have figured out your business strategy, you’ve likely discovered some operational challenges they may be standing in the way of scaling. By processing millions of orders for thousands of ecommerce companies, we’ve learned the most common blocks to scaling are:
Multiple disconnected systems Manual processes Lack of insight and control
Fortunately, there is one simple solution with a few variation that will solve all of these problems—technology. Using technology that is now available to all sellers, it’s possible to
Integrate your entire tech stack. Automate your operational workflows and processes. Analyze the financial health of your business.
1. Integration
Today’s ecommerce tech landscape is complex—literally hundreds of vendors offer various solutions. How do you decide which apps to get and which companies to trust?
On the one hand, you have ecommerce platforms like Shopify, Magento, WooCommerce, or BigCommerce which power your online store. With their technology, it’s easier than ever to start an online business. But these platforms offer single-channel selling and, by nature of being big, they are slow to innovate. Then you have marketplaces like Amazon and eBay that expose sellers to millions of buyers and offer their own warehousing, fulfillment, and shipping solutions. The problem is – they are expensive as sellers get hit by many hidden fees that eat into your margins.
Then you have single-purpose tools just for shipping or inventory management or fulfillment; they don’t integrate well into the technology you already have; and many of those apps are expensive.
The bottom line? When your business is growing rapidly, your resulting tech stack gets pretty complex and you need to choose the right tech partner that will serve your growing needs, and will help you integrate all the different systems and apps.
The benefits of integrating:
Have one software as your centralized point of control where you can see data from all sales channels, in a standardized format. Easily view the details without changing platforms. Save time on data reconciliation. Save money and some headache by consolidating redundant apps.
What to look for in an ecommerce integration tool:
Choose a partner who helps you integrate all the different systems and apps so that you don’t spend too much time reconciling your data. Find a tool that integrates with the world’s best ecommerce players. Look for an app that acts as the centralized point of control in which the processing of orders takes place between your ecommerce channels, inventory, and order fulfillment systems, shipping solutions, payments, and accounting software, like QuickBooks. Explore ways to minimize your clicks for each order. In other words, see how you can use fewer apps and maximize the apps you keep.
2. Automation Examine your workflows by creating an order processing flowchart. Map out a diagram showing how one order flows through a single channel to see where the potential bottlenecks, inefficiencies, and risks. Now, if you sell your goods on multiple channels this picture gets increasingly more complex and prone to errors and inefficiencies.
Automating order processing, accounting, shipping, and inventory may seem like an obvious solution, you’d be surprised how many sellers resist making any changes to their workflow and their old style of working to the detriment of the business. Many sellers spend hours jumping between systems and keeping their customers in the dark while their team fumbles through each order.
The benefits of automation:
Fully reconcile your accounts. Manage all your orders from one software. Easily search, sort, filter, import, export multichannel orders. Enter phone orders by automatically pulling QuickBooks inventory. Instantly create purchase orders for out of stock items. Always know where your money is and that your data is timely and accurate.
What to look for in an ecommerce automation platform:
A platform that can address the biggest automation areas—orders, accounting, inventory, and shipping. Software that allows the whole team to collaborate using a single set of data with no manual entry. A tool that emphasizes the importance of syncing multiple channels and tracking essential pieces of data. A scheduling automator, allowing you to set tasks nightly, hourly, or every five minutes if you like. An application that operates in the cloud or on multiple computers throughout your organization. Software that allows you to add notes and communicate between multiple users who have set levels of permission.
3. Analysis To combat the paralysis that comes with opaque financials, use data analytics to reveal actionable insights. The keyword here is “actionable.” If you collect all data in the world, you’d still need to make sense of it and know what to do next. This is especially important for ecommerce sellers, who are really on their own to come up with strategy that allows them to grow without breaking the whole system.
The benefits of ecommerce data analytics:
View profit and loss reports and identify trends and risks. Analyze sales performance by channel, inventory, or customer. Know your most profitable products and focus on optimizing their sales. Evaluate sales by geography and maximize marketing in the areas that produce the best margins. Sync and track inventory to forecast reorders and avoid over-selling.
Look for in an ecommerce data analytics tool that tells you:
Why there is a spike or dip in sales. How and how often can you replicate that spike and avoid the dip. Which products yield better margins than others. Who are my top customers and how do I keep them happy? Product-level profitability.
In short, the secrets to scaling your ecommerce business and actually turning a profit lie in fully integrating your tech stack, automation orders, inventory, shipping, and accounting, and analyzing your data across all channels to know what strategic steps to take next. Tackle just one of these and it’ll be easier to run your business; implement all three, and you’re guaranteed to sleep like a baby and make a bundle.
I hope just concentrating on these basic points businesses will be benefited largely.
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Hi @Jess W @EmilyCowan , I always prefer to use Linkedin and Facebook but i have slowly started out on Twitter and Instagram too. But No 1 App i would say is Linkedin. Since i have to constantly keep check on the technological advancements happening in the world i have joined in few groups where i constantly get updates about my field. Surely Networking is very much important for personal and organizational benefits.
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Hi @Momoko , Its great you are trying to build a marketplace, as i am sure you are aware of the differences between an Online store and a marketplace. But some Online store platforms can be developed as marketplaces. For example Sharetribe, SpreeCommerce & Mgento. Here Sharetribe is specifically a marketplace platform but it is not that you cannot use Magento as Marketplace.You will have to install a magento extension to add marketplace functionality. One of the module i can recall is Multi-vendor Module. Drupal Commerce also has similar functionality. Now here is the twist.You need to decide whether you need to create your marketplace from scratch or you can use Ready online marketplace software. Creating marketplace from scratch demands lot of efforts time and money.But the outcome of that is Uniqueness. Your marketplace will be unique.you can also apply some architectural changes and have your app available for apple and android phone users. Secondly about the ready Online marketplace software is where you can save money as compared to creating your marketplace from scratch and you can also save time in creating complex marketplace structure and enter the market with a ready marketplace to do the business.You can pay SAAS marketplace vendor for Hosting , Technical Support and Software Updates.The main advantage is simplicity and Low cost.You can rapidly launch marketplace without a development team and simply access the backend of the marketplace.Three vendors i know are Sharetribe , Near Me and Marketplacer. But i think sharetribe has more good features.The only con here is that you have to depend on them which in many case i think is manageable.
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Hi @JamesOng , Thank you for appreciating. There are many BI software providers in the market which are not only simple to understand but also provide extensive reports which can turnaround your business. The First step what i feel is people should start thinking about capturing the data in a standardized format. What people struggle with most of the time is data being spread in multiple areas which will make any analytic software in-efficient. Also software's like Unify which act as a middleman between Online stores and QuickBooks prove to be a great resource of the Data which the sellers are requiring.
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The power-packed metrics that will have a big impact on your bottom line.
How Small Data Drives Ecommerce ROI
Data is a hot topic lately. If you sell online, you know that order information from your marketplace stores enables the massive big data feeds of Amazon and the like to predict broad consumer behavior and seasonality, manage prices and fees across the channel, and control their interests in the inventory and fulfillment industries globally. While you’re powering someone else’s data, it also seems like every day you’re told to climb aboard the big data bandwagon where you, too, can ride into the sunset of freedom and happiness of higher sales, profit, and success.
But when it comes to practical application of collecting data and understanding the insights they offer, you draw a blank. You’re not alone. Turns out, 94% of companies across all levels have experienced internal challenges when trying to improve their data quality. One could theorize that this dissatisfaction may stem from sheer size and that big data has just become too big. Case in point: The fact is, every second of every day we create new data. To understand the scale, 40,000 Google search queries are performed every second, which makes it 3.5 billion searches per day and 1.2 trillion searches per year. Each of those, at a minimum, creates new keyword and search ranking data. On a more relevant note, while it’s wonderful that Amazon has 304 million active customer accounts worldwide, what can you learn about tapping into that fire hose, or more specifically, why does your store suddenly and inexplicable have a following from Stanley, Idaho?
Sure, there’s plenty to learn from the e-commerce industry at large, but i believe the most valuable data for e-commerce SMBs is in the small game. The most valuable and actionable insights come from examining the metrics of your individual sales channels and your online retail business as a whole. For maximum impact, i recommend focusing on three specific areas.
Multichannel Metrics Realists among us know that there’s no competing against Amazon. Your best hope of making any money in online retail is to sell on multiple channels simultaneously, Amazon included. But unless you have a way to view your sales data on each store, and also together as a group, the financial health of your business gets lost in the shuffle. When selling on multiple channels, your key metrics are:
total average order value
collectible average order value
delivered average order value
average order profit
total sales by channel
Comparing these metrics for the whole business and each channel individually will allow you to effectively pivot and scale how and where you sell. Talk about small data having an impact.
Customers Through no fault of your own, you may find it hard to get to know your online customers. They’re not walking through a physical door every day and there’s no face-to-face greeting to facilitate the sales process. Yet every day you hear how crucial it is to identify the “whales” that make your business the most successful, then personalize every aspect of the online sale. Your biggest competition has somehow figured it out, so you’d better get on it. To stand out from the masses, the key metrics to follow are:
returning vs new customers
contribution amount by customer
customer lifetime value
top customers by lifetime contribution or profit
Learn these small data details and you’ll know plenty about the buying habits of your VIP online customers and how to make them happy.
Products Nobody told you that inventory management and control across channels was going to be such a massive headache. Taking steps to reduce chaos around your products will no doubt put you in a better mood, but learning some essential bits of small data, like exactly what products make you the most money or cost you the least to fulfill, can actually affect the profitability of your business as a whole.
Anyone selling anything online should know:
The gross profit of each item and which ones are the winners
When you need to reorder inventory
The cumulative contribution a particular item provides
These metrics will go a long way to increasing profits and running a more efficient e-commerce business, thus sending your mood into another stratosphere.
Take comfort in the fact that 97% of U.S. businesses are looking to achieve a complete view of their customer, and likely every other aspect of their business, but know that it’s just a matter of time before the competition figures it out. Seize the strategic opportunities offered by small data and win the sale.
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Hi @JamesOng, Yes talking from the perspective of Order postings thru applications like eCC/ Unify Desktop we come across same problem which in more technical language of QuickBooks is called " List element already in Use". This error usually comes in when customer name is also present in vendor list or other names list. So the generic answer we provide is same as what you have suggested to add a dot [.] or any other character in the vendor name list or other name list and then try to post the Order again.
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Hi @jerameyork, If you are using Shipdate field then by default it will pick a date which is current date or from the last transaction.It cannot be left blank as i have tried to save the transaction after deleting the date.Although there is an option which i found which might help you.Please check the screenshot i am attaching. Also are you using any application to post the Sales Orders to Quickbooks or just manually entering sales Orders ? The reason i am asking is because these applications do have an option to override the shipdate field.
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Hi @Harty , You can create a check or Bill (Paid/unpaid) to record the fees because it has already been deducted.In this way you can track your merchant fees. Please feel free to reach me if you have any further Questions.
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Hi @CelticMink, I am not sure if you have explored the Shopify POS or Square POS or not, because they emerging as low cost POS systems which will help you to do what you are expecting.Also regarding the Accounting of the Sales you have to use Quickbooks and that is what you are using right now.So there are plenty of integrators which will help you manage the Inventory sync across the channels and post the sales data to QuickBooks Automatically. One software i can recommend for the Integratration is Unify Desktop by Webgility as it does all you need .It can import the sales from Shopify or Square POS and also post the Orders to QuickBooks Desktop. It also Manages the Inventory Sync across the Multiple Online sales Channels. Regarding second question about customizing the Invoices so i have seen Shopify POS and Revel Systems features they do provide customized invoices But i am not sure if they provide barcode services.That you can check with them. I know you are hesitating to invest more but in order to ease up the things you will need some tools to help you grow because the time you are spending on managing these operations can be utilyzed in more productive work in other areas. :)
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Hi @EmilyCowan, I can sum up some of the Pros and Cons on Selling on the Marketplaces,which are as follows but there may be others which i cannot recall , Pros:- Already established market, so no need to create Demand. Instantly recognisable by Buyers Start Selling Fast as soon as uploading your first product. No need to worry about IT and Infrastructure. Some Marketplaces even handle your Inventory (e.g. Amazon Prime/FBA) Already established 24*7 Customer support by Marketplace Buyers Pay with confidence Easy Product Shipping and delivery management Test your Product’s acceptability among Buyers. Cons:- Lower Profit Margin even if there is greater Sales Buyers are Not your Customers Higher competition inside Marketplace between same type Sellers Lower Brand Visibility Product focused not Seller Focused Missing details of customers for analysis and CRM Higher requirement levels like Tax and Legal papers Delayed pay-out duration No Customer Loyalty No direct communication between Buyer and Seller Many products are Prohibited at Marketplaces No Seller’s Store customisation available. I hope this can help :)
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But as you know Amazon or eBay are very big Marketplaces and customer hits are more on these rather than personal websites as it may not be that much popular. So there are upsides and downsides.
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Hi @EmilyCowan , The Only downside i think is managing the Inventory synced across all the channels but softwares like webgility Unify or any other apps are managing pretty well. Other downside is always the fees associated on selling on these platforms. So Lets take an example i can sell a product on my website which will cost 20$ to a customer but on Amazon or eBay i have to make sure they are priced correctly so i can compete with Other sellers and also can make money on the sale.Hence all the cost benefit analysis needs to be done prior to listing on Marketplaces where competetion is waiting.
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Hi , I have seen many clients of mine having their Personal Website and they also sell on Amazon or Ebay Or Etsy as well.The Only reason is that they want to expand their market reach and More Profits and ultimately what their goal is. So adding new platforms to sell is always profitable what they think. I am not sure what everyone else thinks about it but i also believe that if selling on multiple sales channels will somehow increase the Profitability and reach.Hence i might have to price my product at 22$ to compensate the fees associated for selling. But as you know Amazon or eBay are very big Marketplaces and customer hits are more on these rather than personal websites as it may not be that much popular. So there are upsides and downsides.
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Hi @truleigh You can check out Unify Desktop app from Webgility to Sync the Inventory to QuickBooks. There are two ways to sync up your inventories 1) Make sure your Inventory at Amazon and Quickbooks are Updated and then you can download the Orders and Post them in QuickBooks as Sales Receipts which will decrease the qty of the item in Quickbooks , that you have sold on Amazon. 2) Use Webgility which does have the Option to synchronize the Item Qty's of Amazon top QuickBooks. So the second option will be the most viable solution for you. Please let me know if you need any further help. :)
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Hi @nnorring You can try out Unify as it does a great job integrating Amazon Shopify and other Shopping carts to bring in sales and Post them to QuickBooks as Invoices or Sales Recipts.They also have the automation setup where you can automate these processes to eliminate the manaul intervention.You can always go for a free trial and test the applications.Please feel free to reach me if you have further questions.
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Hi @MyraBec, As @JamesOng stated you can use Unify Desktop App for downloading the Complex Amazon Settlement reports and Post them to QuickBooks in the form of a Bill Paid, Bill Unpaid or Check as you are recording the expenses which have already been incurred and amazon has already deducted the amount from your Account. Now what Webgility does is it also records the refunds issued in the form of Check & Bill Credit or Check & Deposit as these are the two types which mostly is being chosen to record these type of transactions. In Order to get you over from this complex accounting problem i will recommend you to use Webgility Unify Desktop as it works great and knows better about Amazon reports. Plus you can also post the Orders FBA and Merchant and you can separate them based on the sales channels too. Please feel free to reach me if yo need any further assistance.
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Hi, As i understood from your requirement that you are looking up for Shopify POS which is no doubt a very best Online Platform to provide an interface to sell.Also since you have not finalized the QuickBooks Version i will recommend you to use QuickBooks Desktop as i think that would best suite your requirements because you need to properly account the sales as well Inventory too.I am not saying you should not chose Quickbooks Online but QuickBooks Desktop is quite matured product and will help you in getting lot of Management reports which will help you analyze the business flow. Also when shopify POS starts getting you sales you need to account those sales in QuickBooks which again will require a software. There are multiple softwares available in the market like Webgility- Unify Desktop , Atandra -T-Hub, Teaplix and so on but Webgility triumps here because of their support as they not only help you configuring the things but also provide support exceptionally. I have seen shopify Integration with Webgility and they can automate all the processes (Order Downlods and Posting) using scheduler service which is awesome.But its you have to decide which way you need to go. I am hoping you might come up with many questions which i am happy to answer. :)
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